Hi, Ive got a question about sharing a @home internet connection. In september im going back to school and sharing a house with 7 others, is it possible to share an cable modem connection between 5-6 computers? Is the following logic correct? cable modem -->NIC1 on server pc (running ICS or sygate) NIC2 --> networkhub --> to all other comps. Will this setup allow everyone to access each others files? Is there a way to do this without a server pc?Is there a better way to do this? Or would it be better to get a second modem and have two smaller networks to increase the speed?

It can be done quite well with one cable MODEM. A router would work much better than any software solution, especially with that number of PCs. Larry

Q. What are the ways to share a broadband (cable or DSL MODEM) Internet connection?

A. There are few ways to do it. One is to purchase another IP address from your service provider. Most service providers charge a monthly fee for additional IPs. The best way is to purchase a broadband router such as the SMC Barricade (http://duxcw.com/digest/Reviews/Network/smc/smc7004br/smc7004br.htm). That is what I use. They cost about $100.

The Barricade has serial port for an external dial-up MODEM and a printer port and printer server. A printer can be connected to the Barricade and shared by computers on the local network. Not all printers will work with it. Many routers do not accommodate an Internet connection via an external dial-up MODEM and do not have printer port and server.

The Barricade can be connected to an Ethernet hub or switch hub can to expand the network and Internet sharing to more than the four PCs directly supported by the router.

Of the software I have tested, I have found that SyGate (http://duxcw.com/digest/Reviews/Network/sygate/sygate.htm) is the best NAT (it can also function as a proxy). The version of SyGate I reviewed requires two network adapters like Win 98 SE/Me ICS. The newest version is advertised to work with one network adapter in the host computer (the one running the NAT).

With a software solution you must have the host computer on for the other computer(s) (clients) to use the Internet. Most routers are small boxes running a specialized server that performs both NAT and firewall functions. With a router, only the router has to be on. The router is also easier to install, is generally faster, and has fewer problems.

Hi again, so if i were to use a router, then it would get hooked up like this:cable modem --> router --> network hub --> to the various computers?I notice that the SMC barricade router only has four ports, are there other broadband routers with more then four ports?, Can i hook up a 4/5 port hub to the router and use the ports from the router and the other ports from the hub? or do all of the computers have to be at the same level(all attached to the hub, router or vice versa)?

…would get hooked up like this: cable modem --> router --> network hub --> to the various computers? Can i hook up a 4/5 port hub to the router and use the ports from the router and the other ports from the hub? or do all of the computers have to be at the same level(all attached to the hub, router or vice versa)?

If the router is a combination router/switch, the “various computers” could be connected to remaining router/switch ports as well as hub ports. In that case, I would put the most PCs on the switch ports.

I notice that the SMC barricade router only has four ports, are there other broadband routers with more then four ports?

Yes. For example, there is an 8-port version of the Barricade.

Larry

What is the difference between an Ethernet hub and switch?

Although hubs and switches both glue the PCs in a network together, a switch is more expansive and generally considered faster than a hub. Why?When a hub receives a packet (chunk) of data (a frame in Ethernet lingo) at one of its ports from a PC on the network, it transmits (repeats) the packet to all of its ports and, thus, to all of the other PCs on the network. If two or more PCs on the network try to send packets at the same time a collision is said to occur. When that happens all of the PCs have to go though a routine to resolve the conflict. The process is proscribed in the Ethernet Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) protocol. Each Ethernet Adapter has both a receiver and a transmitter. If the adapters didn't have to listen with their receivers for collisions they would be able to send data at the same time they are receiving it (full duplex). Because they have to operate at half duplex (data flows one way at a time) and a hub retransmits data from one PC to all of the PCs, the maximum bandwidth is 100 Mhz and that bandwidth is shared by all of the PC's connected to the hub. The result is when a person using a computer on a hub downloads a large file or group of files from another computer the network becomes congested. In a 10 Mhz 10Base-T network the affect is to slow the network to nearly a crawl. The affect on a small, 100 Mhz, 5-port network is not as significant.

Two computers can be connected directly together in an Ethernet with a crossover cable (http://duxcw.com/digest/Howto/network/cable/cable1.htm). A crossover cable doesn't have a collision problem. It hardwires the Ethernet transmitter on one computer to the receiver on the other. Most 100BASE-TX Ethernet Adapters can detect when listening for collisions is not required with a process know as auto-negotiation and will operate in a full duplex mode when it is permitted. The result is a crossover cable doesn't have delays caused by collisions, data can be sent in both directions simultaneously, the maximum available bandwidth is 200 Mhz, 100 Mhz each way, and there are no other PC's with which the bandwidth must be shared.An Ethernet switch automatically divides the network into multiple segments, acts as a high-speed, selective bridge between the segments, and supports simultaneous connections of multiple pairs of computers which don't compete with other pairs of computers for network bandwidth. It accomplishes this by maintaining a table of each destination address and its port. When the switch receives a packet, it reads the destination address from the header information in the packet, establishes a temporary connection between the source and destination ports, sends the packet on its way, and then terminates the connection.

Picture a switch as making multiple temporary crossover cable connections between pairs of computers (the cables are actually straight-thru cables; the crossover function is done inside the switch). High-speed electronics in the switch automatically connect the end of one cable (source port) from a sending computer to the end of another cable (destination port) going to the receiving computer on a per packet basis. Multiple connections like this can occur simultaneously. It's as simple as that. And like a crossover cable between two PCs, PC's on an Ethernet switch do not share the transmission media, do not experience collisions or have to listen for them, can operate in a full-duplex mode, have bandwidth as high as 200 Mhz, 100 Mhz each way, and do not share this bandwidth with other PCs on the switch. In short, a switch is "more better."